Much More Than Just Transfiguration
by sexiglassesSNOG
Summary: Post OOTP (Gin's 5th year). Hormonic teenagers who hate each other cause strange things to happen.........Ginny's put into sixth-year Slytherin Transfiguration with Draco Malfoy. Chaos ensues. [Chapter 4 up; sorry for the long wait!]
1. Default Chapter

DISCLAIMER: Yup, same old, same old, I don't own J.K. Rowling.....oops, I mean, I don't own Harry Potter or any of those lovely characters, EVEN Draco Malfoy who I WISH I owned, because then I could make him do whatever I want in those books, because he's so HOT and all those good things...oooh [falls over and faints] anyway!  
  
[A/N: This fic is NOT a one-shot.it will *actually* be continued *gasps of readers: 'she's written something that's not a one-shot? she must be MAD!' well I am mad, yeah, anyway, enjoy. Review too. Because of course you know that when you enjoy something, you have to review it so that I can enjoy your reviews, too! Isn't that right? Anyway...hope you like it.]  
  
This chapter is dedicated to: that hott guy in chemistry, because I started writing this story to get my mind off him. Anyway!  
  
*and.the story begins.*  
  
Ginny Weasley sat in a hard-backed chair in front of Professor McGonagall's wooden desk, twisting her hands together nervously. She eyed the portraits on the walls suspiciously - they were all staring at her. Instantly, most of the faces turned away apologetically. She let out a sigh of annoyance. Why had she been called here? Checking her nails, Ginny jumped when a loud cough came from the back of the room.  
  
"Miss Weasley, I was expecting you," Professor McGonagall said in a friendly tone, conjuring a plate of cookies and offering it to Ginny. She took one and smiled somewhat shakily.  
  
"So...why've you called me here?" Ginny asked nervously. God, if she was failing or anything...  
  
"Oh, nothing to be worried about," McGonagall told her cheerily. "In fact, you should be proud, Miss Weasley."  
  
"Proud?"  
  
"Yes - you've just been promoted to sixth-year Transfiguration, it's a very high honor." McGonagall smiled down at her student.  
  
Ginny seemed incapable of doing anything but repeating what her teacher had said. "...Promoted?" she parroted.  
  
"Your work has been of such good quality since last year that we've decided not to hold you back in your studies anymore by leaving you in a fifth-year class."  
  
"But - Professor - it's my O.W.L. year!" When was Ginny supposed to do all that extra studying? Had the professor gone mad?  
  
"If you feel it's too hard, Miss Weasley, be sure to tell me...Now, I suppose you'll want to be off to breakfast, then?" The professor made a swishing motion with her wand and the plate of cookies vanished.  
  
"Yes, Professor McGonagall," Ginny replied dully. She hoisted her bag over her shoulder and pushed the door open.  
  
"Oh - Miss Weasley?"  
  
Ginny looked back. "Yes?"  
  
"It's first period tomorrow. And - Ginny, I'm sorry, but the only class we could fit into your schedule was with the Slytherins...if you have too big a problem with that, talk to me."  
  
She nodded to Ginny, who closed the door and nearly fell out into the hall. She groaned inwardly and ran down the hallway to the girls' toilets. Once inside, she combed her flyaway red hair back and fastened it with two clips. She checked her mascara in the mirror and added a little more lippy. Dropping her cosmetics into her purse, Ginny opened the door and peered into the hallway. No one was there. Only then did she slouch down, her back to the wall, letting her bag fall by her side. She let her head fall into her hands.  
  
"Damn..." she breathed, "...a class with SLYTHERINS. Sixth-year Slytherins!" She wondered briefly if Ron knew; he'd probably have a fit if he did, imagining his little sister alone in a classroom full of Slytherins. She'd tell Harry or Hermione - let one of THEM tell him. She didn't want anything more to deal with at the moment.  
  
* * * *  
  
Ron, Hermione and Harry were already at the Gryffindor table when Ginny wandered over and threw her bag on the ground next to Harry's chair, sliding into the chair beside him. As she piled eggs onto her plate, she noticed that Ron and Hermione were extremely close to each other, and they weren't arguing like they always had before. She snickered silently, then turned her attention to Harry.  
  
"Hey, Harry, how's it going?"  
  
He didn't even bother to look at her, just mumbled, "I - don't - want - to - talk - about - it." He started to eat again but then must have caught sight of her face, because he turned to her and gasped, "Ginny!"  
  
"Yes, that would be my name," she replied loudly.  
  
He grimaced. "Damn, didn't know it was you...thought it was one of those idiots, you know, annoying first years who want to know what Voldemort looks like ... as IF I would want to remember... anyway, sorry, Gin, how was your summer?"  
  
He seemed genuinely interested, so she shifted her full attention to him.  
  
"It was, you know, a bit boring, practiced Quidditch a lot, tried to ignore the ghoul - it was chucking things at the field - Hermione stayed over for a couple of weeks, but you know how she and Ron are ...Yeah, I guess that was it," she finished, purposely leaving out that she had been thinking about him almost incessantly. What Ginny hadn't told Michael when they broke up was that she still liked Harry - Michael probably wouldn't have taken it very well. She wondered if Harry had picked up on it THIS time - but no, he probably hadn't, what with Sirius's death and Voldemort's return, he'd probably had a lot on his mind. Tapping her foot on the table leg, Ginny muched on a croissant and wondered idly if Harry would have time for a girlfriend this year. Somehow she thought his answer might be in the affirmative, because he was staring at her intently.  
  
She jumped when Harry began to talk again, then fixed her eyes on his green ones behind those slightly broken glasses.  
  
"Ginny...?" He looked at her, and his voice sounded a lot more serious than it usually did.  
  
"Mmm-hm?"  
  
"Can you keep this a secret?" His eyes were penetrating her mind, and she struggled to keep from staring at him any more than she already was.  
  
"Yeah, I guess..."  
  
He leaned closer, and the noise of all the Gryffindors eating breakfast seemed to fade like a dying wind. She could feel his breath on her face, but she didn't pull away.  
  
"Ginny...this summer, I spent a lot of time thinking about life. The Dursleys left me alone a lot, you know, they don't like me much anyway, and Dudley got some sort of 'girlfriend'. He probably forced her into it, but anyway, they were out a lot so I was alone almost constantly. I don't know if you can imagine it, but I was so depressed I didn't think I could go on living." He paused, and looked into her eyes. It felt like he was seeing into her very soul.  
  
"And I knew how important I was to the war between Voldemort and the Order, and I realized that there were going to be so many more deaths... and I thought about killing myself."  
  
"Oh God, Harry, please tell me you didn't hurt yourself..." Ginny grabbed him, pulling up his sleeves and checking his wrists for scars.  
  
There was nothing. He pushed her hands away gently and continued.  
  
"I didn't do anything to myself. I knew I couldn't, because....when I thought about you, I said to myself that wouldn't do that to you, I wouldn't kill one of your friends, no matter how distant that friend was to you at the time."  
  
She wanted to cry out that they weren't distant, that they would be a lot closer this year if she had anything to do with it.  
  
"So, Ginny...I think I'm over it now. But I was wondering...would you go out with me, next Hogsmeade weekend?"  
  
They were holding hands now, but Ginny had no idea how it had happened. She nodded mutely and stared down at the ground. She couldn't look at his face. This couldn't be happening at the breakfast table, on the first day of Hogwarts...or could it?  
  
Someone had to leave first. Someone had to break the silence. Someone had to end the scene, and she decided it was going to be her. Ginny let go of his hands, picked up her bag, and stood up. "I've got to go to class, but I'll see you at lunch?"  
  
"All right...at lunch, then." They shared a smile and she almost ran to History of Magic, energized by what had just happened. She was going out with Harry Potter, after more than four years of crushes, on and off. Ginny could face anything, even Transfiguration with the Slytherins. 


	2. That Git

DISCLAIMER: Yup, same old, same old, I don't own J.K. Rowling.....oops, I mean, I don't own Harry Potter or any of those lovely characters, EVEN Draco Malfoy who I WISH I owned, because then I could make him do whatever I want in those books, because he's so HOT and all those good things...oooh [falls over and faints] anyway!  
  
Chapter Two: That Git  
  
It turned out that Ginny was wrong. No one could face Transfiguration with the Slytherins, except maybe if that person was a Slytherin too.  
  
She almost didn't bother to get out of bed that morning, but she forced herself to shower and put some makeup on, because she was going to see Harry at breakfast. He still hadn't snogged her, but maybe that had something to do with the fact that they had only been going out for one day....she wandered down the staircase and sleepily poured herself some orange juice, trying not to notice Hermione sitting on Ron's lap and talking animatedly to him. "Not at the breakfast table, PLEASE...." she muttered under her breath.  
  
When Harry came down and sat next to her, though, she smiled up at him like she didn't see Ron and Hermione across the table. She hoped he wouldn't, either, because she was too damn sleepy to sit on someone's lap. Thankfully he made no suggestion of that sort.  
  
And then she realized that she hadn't told Harry - OR Hermione - that she had Transfiguration with the Slytherins. Damn. It could wait, because she just didn't want to think about it at ALL. She wondered idly what Ron's reaction would be. Or Harry's, for that matter. But never mind Harry, she didn't want to be around when Ron heard the news. Maybe she'd tell Hermione...she'd probably congratulate Ginny on it, she was so obsessed with school, and then she could tell Ron sometime when they were making out....when Ginny was NOT present. Ginny didn't enjoy watching other people snog, although *some* people seemed to think she did.  
  
Ginny pulled away from the table in disgust, waving goodbye to Harry and entering the hallway. She barely saw Harry get up from the table and follow. In the hallway, she leaned against the wall until Harry entered. She grinned halfheartedly and linked arms with him. He smiled back at her. "What've you got next?"  
  
She had to tell him NOW?  
  
"Transfiguration...what've you got?" she asked quickly, trying to change the subject.  
  
"You can't have Transfiguration, the Slytherin sixth-years have it now..." he informed her.  
  
"Yeah, well...er, I've been promoted to sixth-year Transfiguration, and, believe me, I'd much rather be in your class, but McGonagall's only been able to fit me in with the Slytherins...don't look at me like that, Harry! It's not as though I had any choice!"  
  
He gritted his teeth. "That git Malfoy's in that class." She could see his hands ball into fists.  
  
"Yeah, Malfoy really is a git," she said loudly, trying to pacify him. "I'll throw a few books at him for you, all right? Now I've got to go to class, love you, bye." She started to walk away but felt him pull her gently back. "What?"  
  
"Just...this." He leaned in and kissed her on the lips, watching the smile come over her face as he did. He kissed her again, and she wanted nothing more than to stay in that hallway for all of eternity, but she could hear people coming in from the other direction, and she had to get to class. "Protection against Slytherins."  
  
She laughed, gave him a quick one-armed hug, picked up her books and dashed down the hallway to Transfiguration. She had a couple of quills she could chuck at Malfoy today. That git. 


	3. Damn Ferrets

DISCLAIMER: Yup, same old, same old, I don't own J.K. Rowling.....oops, I mean, I don't own Harry Potter or any of those lovely characters, EVEN Draco Malfoy who I WISH I owned, because then I could make him do whatever I want in those books, because he's so HOT and all those good things...oooh [falls over and faints] anyway!  
  
Thx to all my reviewers.  
  
ShuffleQueen - thx for being the 1st reviewer for this story! thx!  
  
[dee]Lucifer - ha yr so NICE to put up wit me ;)  
  
Amanda Lupin - yah I emailed you...when I get some extra time I'm gunna re do that chappy... ^.^  
  
Twinklelittlevenstar - haha, we're so INTO abused hp character stories. ^o^ it's a SNITCH!!! and I made that by ACCIDENT.wow im so TALENTED.. ^o^ *makes it again* ^o^  
  
Oh, and does anyone know the italic/bold/underline HTML codes for fanfiction? PLEASE give them to me, I'll love you forever, THX!!!  
  
Chapter Three: Damn Ferrets  
  
Ginny walked down the nearly deserted corridor, towards Transfiguration. "This is the beginning of the rest of my life," she told herself, then laughed at the much-used cliché. Checking her reflection in a small mirror, Ginny took a deep breath and opened the door to the classroom.  
  
Several Slytherins looked down their noses at her. Ginny could see Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bulstrode and their gang of Slytherin girls, spread around the room. To the right, she noticed Crabbe and Goyle, snickering to themselves, and Blaise Zabini sitting with a brunette Ginny didn't know. She looked around some more. Obviously, Malfoy hadn't arrived yet.  
  
The Slytherins' glares could have unsteadied anyone; Ginny looked away, glancing at Professor McGonagall, who motioned her toward a seat in the front. She sat carefully in the chair, wishing she was back with her Gryffindor class.  
  
As McGonagall began to get out her wand, Draco Malfoy came crashing in. He wore an irritated expression, and, Ginny noticed, hadn't managed to gel his hair. He looked snidely around, his eyes resting on Ginny for a moment longer than necessary. She blinked; he sneered and looked away, searching for a place to sit.  
  
She kept her eyes down as Malfoy decided on an empty desk in the very back of the room. McGonagall grimaced. When Draco hurled his bag onto the ground, the Professor said sharply, "Mr. Malfoy ... perhaps you would care to join us here in the FRONT of the room?"  
  
Draco raised his eyebrows at her.  
  
The putrid expression McGonagall now wore caused all the Slytherins, as well as Ginny, to twist around at their tables and stare at the boy, sitting nonchalantly in his chair, arms folded and leaning back.  
  
Pansy Parkinson smiled in a way that she apparently believed to be flirtatious from the other side of the room. She sat with her ankles crossed, an awful odor of what she obviously believed to be perfume wafting towards Malfoy, who, Ginny could see, was trying not to breathe too deeply.  
  
"Hey - y, Draaaaaaco, you could come sit over here ... with ME..." she crooned.  
  
From the look on Malfoy's face, Ginny realized, it was plain that he was close to retching.  
  
Finally he got up, making it halfway to the front before realizing that the only free seat was beside Ginny's.  
  
He stood there for a moment, trying to decide what was worse: Muggle- loving Ginny Weasley or absurdly slutty Pansy Parkinson.  
  
Draco made his choice - and sauntered, however reluctantly, over to sit beside Ginny.  
  
She turned sideways in her chair so that her back was to Malfoy - she didn't need that constant reminder of who she would be stuck with for the next year.  
  
McGonagall peered at the class. "Well, I suppose these seats are as good as any - this will be the seating chart from now on." She smiled grimly, daring them to object. This was the way to deal with Slytherins.  
  
Ginny's head dropped, once again, into her palms. She stayed hunched over for what seemed hours, until she heard a whisper.  
  
"Muggle-lover," Malfoy hissed, his voice dripping with disdain.  
  
"Ferret," she shot back derisively.  
  
"Wands out, please, class." McGonagall waved hers in the air for emphasis.  
  
Ginny sighed, and got out her wand.  
  
It was going to be a long year... 


	4. Motives

Much More Than Just Transfiguration

_Chapter 4_

          Ginny stormed out of the Transfiguration classroom the moment class ended, not bothering to finish packing her book bag. That day had been the worst she had ever had in all her fifteen years, except maybe the day she had found Ron and Hermione snogging in the common room…but those were memories she definitely wanted to bury. She shuddered almost involuntarily at the recollection.

          All through class Ginny had felt Draco's eyes on her; she wanted desperately to turn around, say something stinging, then slap him. But surely Professor McGonagall wouldn't be happy with her, and Ginny didn't think she could deal with any more trouble at this point. 

          Every time she had had to hand him a paper, or turn in his direction, Draco had been staring at her, licking his lips or running a hand through his hair. With disgust she clenched her fists. He was so obsessed with girls that he'd do anything to get one, even a certain red-haired Gryffindor who was going out with his lifelong enemy. That _slut._ That absolute _whore!_

          She stopped walking only when she heard something drop behind her; Ginny recalled how she hadn't even closed her book bag. It was probably her wand.

          Turning around and bending over to get whatever had fallen, she realized it wasn't there any more. As Ginny straightened with a shrug, she was shocked to see a familiar hand stretched out to her with her wand in its open palm. Her eyes met pale grey ones.

          "This _is_ yours, isn't it?" 

          "What are you doing with my wand, Malfoy?"

          The trademark smirk was back. "You dropped it, Weasley. I'm only doing my civil duty as a gentleman, and giving it back to you."

          She snatched it from him, stowed it in the pocket of her robes, and started to walk away without a word.

          "I don't get a thank-you?" he persisted, his eyes gleaming. 

          Whirling on him, Ginny sent Draco a glare of pure venom from ten feet away. Through gritted teeth she informed him, "You can consider the fact that I'm not hexing you to Madame Pomfrey's office thanks enough, _Malfoy."_

          Again she began to walk at a heightened pace towards the Great Hall. She had gained ten more feet of ground when she felt a cold hand on her shoulder.

          "Damn it, what _is_ it?"

          His hand was still on her shoulder, and she shook it off, dusting her robes off and wiping her hand on her bag. 

          "You don't want to cross me like that, Weasley. Not when you'll be going to class with me for the next year."

          She almost expected to hear Crabbe and Goyle snickering in the background, backing up what their leader had said, but when she scanned the room, no one was there. Did he really expect her to listen to him?

          "I'll do whatever I damn well please, and right now I'm going to lunch."

          For the third, and what she hoped was the final, time, Ginny started to move. 

          Draco blocked her way.

          "God, Malfoy, what do you _want?"_

          Something in her tone told him she meant business, and so he moved aside, leaning against the wall nonchalantly.

          She stomped off, obviously extremely pissed.

          He realized he hadn't answered her question yet. Draco Malfoy contemplated it for a moment, then whispered – not using the Malfoy drawl, for once – almost inaudibly: 

          _"You."_

          ~*~

          **A/N: Sorry that took so long to get up! And thanks to ShuffleQueen for telling me how to get bolds, italics, et al up here! But I'm too lazy to do individual notes, so…yeah. Expect next chapter within, um, a few weeks? Heh.**

**            Like it? Love it? Hate it with all your heart? Review and tell me what you think! Is the drama too much in this chapter? I'm waiting for your answers! ;)**


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